A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to accurately gauging the speed of a train going through various positions on the tracks. This will be used in conjunction with the method and apparatus for taking high-speed resolution images of the undercarriage of a train.
A plurality of speed detection devices will be placed on the railroad tracks for a predetermined length that will allow the user of this device to calculate the speed of a train within a fraction of a mile per hour.
As a train passes over each one of the markers or indicators a measurement is taken and corresponding speed of the train is calculated using an algorithm for that purpose.
When the speed of the train is calculated, software is incorporated to interact with a device to take high-speed resolution images of the undercarriage of a train. This is accomplished by adjusting the frame rate of the camera that is involved as well as adjusting the illumination means.
B. Prior Art
There are many prior devices that are utilized to provide the speed of trains. However, few can calculate the linear speed of a train with the necessary precision and accuracy of the present invention.
The U.S. Pat. No. 8,892,368, by Saracho Rotaeche et al. (Saracho), discloses a method for attaching sensors to railway tracks. The sensors in this device measure stresses in track railways. This is done by analyzing the movement of vibrations through the rail car. The sensors are also capable of measuring speed by recording the times of different signal peaks recorded by the system. The present invention on the other hand utilizes the actual wheels of a rail car for determining the speed of the train.
While U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,400, by Appleby et al. (Appleby), and U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,821, by Blanyer, also disclose devices that utilize railway wheel sensors to determine train speed, the present invention discloses differences that are unique and non-obvious from the prior art. Appleby measures vibrations to determine when the wheel of the train is present and Blanyer uses magnetic fields to complete a circuit as the train wheel passes through them.
The present invention is novel and significantly different from the prior art in that it incorporates a plurality of devices containing within each a plurality of sensors that work in tandem to determine very precise and accurate measurements of the speed of a train at a given point in time.